Black Clergy Endorses Obama

The Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity  has endorsed Barack Obama for President.  The folks in our churches are overwhelmingly supporting Barack Obama," said the Rev. Ellis I. Washington, the group's president. "We can do no less."  The Philadelphia Council of Clergy has endorsed Hillary Clinton.   This is interesting tome because this is a change from what I saw last summer.  I live blogged an ACORN presidential event at Bright Hope Baptist Church which Sen. Obama didn't even deign to appear.  Sen. Clinton did, addressed the issues of poverty, affordable housing, predatory lenders, et al which ACORN focuses.

The largely urban, Black audience loved Hillary that day.  When she arrived they pressed to the front to get pictures and treated her as their hero.  Now they are moving to Barack Obama.  Interesting though not unexpected.

Comments

[E]

Are you trying to say that this has to do with race? The Clinton's only lost support of the AA community with their tactics. That's all.

[John Morgan]

What's interesting is how, last summer, so many Blacks were still supporting Hillary. Some were saying Obama wasn't "Black enough." This demographic has since gone heavily from Hillary to Obama. It's interesting.

I'm seeing mixed audiences at Obama events I've attended but predominently non Black audiences at the two Clinton events this week.

[E]

As an African-American, and one who has had this discussion NUMEROUS times with other AA's, we like most of those in the democratic party thought that Hillary was inevitable. No one knew who Barack Obama was. Heck, I didn't even remember him from the 2004 convention. We got a chance to start listening to him and what he stood for and liked what he said and thought that he would be great for the country but were still hesitant for a couple of reasons. 1) Would this country really be ready to elect an AA for President? He of course wasn't a Jesse Jackson or an Al Sharpton(I'm not at all trying to discount their achievements). 2) The Clinton's have been really "good" to us over the years and are people really going to elect a AA president?

Iowa happened and we started to reevaluate Obama again and you will notice that the polls showed Obama starting to creep up among African-Americans and then when it looked like he was going to win New Hampshire, the Clinton's just started acting like fools. We were hurt and angry. It was the Clinton's after all. The downward spiral continued from there and after Ferraro's comments, there is no turning back. I'm sorry.

Honestly, it was never really an issue of Barack Obama being black enough. That is ridiculous. Most blacks, myself included were worried about him actually having a chance. I invite you to read some of the prominent black blogs out there which I think would help support my argument.

[John Morgan]

I heard one prominent Black woman on NPR making the argument that Obama wasn't "Black enough." Others did too. I thought it was ridiculous. Obama transcends race, as is obvious at his events. I think when Bill began race baiting (and I condemned him loudly for it here) in SC that's when the race really changed. Now Hillary is regaining that momentum. Geraldine Ferraro's awful remarks this week were another low blow. I haven't been home enough to write as many original opinion articles as usual this week, but that was disgusting.

If race was the only reason Obama was leading why didn't Jesse Jackson win? There's much more to Barack Obama than his race just as there's much more to Hillary Clinton than just her gender.

Regardless, people have injected both race and gender into a contest which should be, simply, who is better suited to be president? Race and gender play no part in that equation. It's time to eradicate both from this debate.

[Jim]

Al Sharpton??!! Could somebody please explain to me why this hateful, moronic, racist, rabble-rousing asshole has any credibility at all in liberal and Democratic circles? Every time this fool opens his mouth, another ten people register as Republicans. Jesse Jackson I can understand...but Al Sharpton? I just don’t get it.